This patching process SUCKS! Worst ever!

from Sins Forums

What the frick people? Who is running this game? What gives? What kinda morons are in charge?

Seriously, I'm here to rant because that was the worst patching process ever! I want to be PLAYING computer games, not running around the web looking for insight and reading forum posts just to figure out how to patch a game. Are you trying to DRIVE me to torrent sites just so I can save myself the hassle of dealing with your crap?

Here is how it goes. You install your nice game, and click the update button in-game. It takes you to a website where you need to register. Fine, a hassle, but I'm cool with that. Then you put in all your info, and it gives you an error. What error you ask? Who knows, it never tells you. So you can't patch your game. So, irritated, you go looking for answers. Hey, lets try emailing them. Wait! there is no email on the front page. Still haven't found it. Nor is it explained who or what Impulse is, and why I have to deal with them. The best part is, when you click on an Impulse link, it doesn't know what you're there for and gives you a whole bunch of advertisements. I'm here to FREAKING UPDATE MY GAME! Which, if your process worked right, you would already know!

So, I go read some forum posts, where I find complaints just like mine. Is that not enough of a hint to whoever is in charge of coding the update process that they might suck at their job? Now I realize I need to go to whatever this impulse thing is and try my luck there. So I sign up for an account there. And wait for the email. And then I have to download a program and install it. Apparently, you need a program to install a patch nowadays. Then you have to enter your login info again. And then you have to register your game, and then people, you can finally download your freaking patch. At some really slow speeds. Ooooo, 5.6MB after 20 minutes. Seriously, can't wait.

One last time for the record, your patching process sucks. I will not be buying any more of your games if I can help it. Just put it inside the game next time like Civilization. Is it really that hard?

technical
2,769 views 6 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top

Unfortunately many games do require a program to patch now (Civ included), some (Ubisoft) even force you to be connected to the internet at all times just to play it. I do agree that the game should do more to make clear the most efficient way to patch your game, but since impulse became the way to update the game after it was released there was no way to include it on the original Sins (besides some people don't like included software like that).

I don't know how you did it, but I just went to www.impulsedriven.com, hit get impulse and I was allowed to download the program from the front page. Besides Sins directly taking you there or installing it on your computer directly, I don't know how it can get any easier. Once you've updated you can uninstall impulse if you like without any problem, something no other digital distribution system will let you do.

The old update now button is archaic and only of use to pirates who can't register the game because they don't have it. Its no different than other games where the original site hosting the patch has been taken down and you have to hunt down the patch manually. In fact I think I much prefer this system over what it took for some of my other games.

Also if it took you 20 minutes for 5.6MB, that sounds like your internet's problem. I get my fastest download speeds on impulse, usually between 300-600 kbps,

Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top

It wasn't getting Impulse that was the problem, it was finding out what Impulse was and why I needed to download it before I could get a patch. How did you know to go to www.impulsedriven.com in the first place? It doesn't tell you that anywhere.

Clicking on the update button from inside Sins took me to a useless page on this website, not Impulse. It asked for all this info and then gave me an error message. No direction, no instructions, no nothing. Just fill out your info. But then it said something was wrong with my info. But it didn't say what was wrong. It was ridiculous. I checked my serial, it was correct, and the only other info was my email and name, which I'm pretty sure was correct too. So then I had to do all this research on where to get the patch, because the update now button inside the game doesn't work correctly. Why not have it link to page with directions or something? I know you can't change the game and where it links, but they can change the information on the page it links to.

And yes, the speeds got better, but then it hung up on the install and I had to run it again.

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Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting Greencardman2000, reply 2
It wasn't getting Impulse that was the problem, it was finding out what Impulse was and why I needed to download it before I could get a patch. How did you know to go to www.impulsedriven.com in the first place? It doesn't tell you that anywhere.
End of Greencardman2000's quote

Admitingly I was browsing the forums here for a while before I updated my game so I had a good idea of what to do. I agree they should redirect the update now button to a page on impulsedriven and explain what you have to do (with the download link directly on the page). Unfortunately when the game launched it didn't use Impulse, but after Sins 1.05 it did, so what you encountered was probably a remnant from when they were switching services.

Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top

maybe put the update out as a separate download i wouldn't update on impulse if there was a other way

Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting Shmily123, reply 4
maybe put the update out as a separate download i wouldn't update on impulse if there was a other way
End of Shmily123's quote

Once you have impulse its quite easy (I as a skeptic at first, but its now a lot easier to use it than manually hunting patches off rapid share and the like), I think its just figuring that out that is the problem. Also the reason Sins has had so many patches is that only registered customers can get them with impulse, which makes it more worthwhile for the developer to continue supporting their games.

Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting Greencardman2000, reply 2
It wasn't getting Impulse that was the problem, it was finding out what Impulse was and why I needed to download it before I could get a patch. How did you know to go to www.impulsedriven.com in the first place? It doesn't tell you that anywhere.
End of Greencardman2000's quote

Well, in my case, it was easy... in the manual, page related to technical support, section update... page 74 for the English manual, page 78 for the French manual...

Is that not enough of a hint to whoever is in charge of coding the update process that they might suck at their job?

Well, devs don't realize that today, people don't read anymore manual... same the readme.txt is almost never read...

I remember the time when there was not patch for game... internet was something new and only in some case, unofficial patch was found in the CD of game magazine... 

As today, everything is more easy... one time a little work for install thing like impulse of Steam and after, it become easy. For the next title buy on Stardock, you will need to simply use the Impulse software already installed...